This book is a compilation of 14 solicited chapters dealing with the subjects of the book's title and divided into three sections: i) overview, policy and economic, ii) on-site benefits, and iii) off-site benefits of soil carbon management. The book is largely oriented towards the American market with all case studies, policy analysis and most of the references sourced from North America. This regional focus, however, also works in the book's favour. Chapter 3 presents case studies from farmers ‘in their own words’ – this makes interesting reading. The second section deals mainly with the science of soil carbon management, as have previous books in the series; the chapters summarize succinctly the state-of-the-art in North America. The third section covers a number of the co-benefits (e.g. erosion prevention, water quality, flood management, wildlife benefits) of soil carbon management.

Most chapters in the book end with policy recommendation, all of which make good sense, but the most detailed, specific and well-argued sections on policy recommendations are found in Chapter 2 by Debbie Reed. Ms Reed has held a number of influential positions in government, as described in the ‘About the Editors’ section, and her deep understanding of policy in the United States is apparent in this chapter. For those of us working in this field, this chapter shows how we need to engage with policy makers, if we wish to make our science an implemented reality. In summary: a good multi-disciplinary country level case-study for encouraging better soil carbon management.